European Parliament votes on one-year delay on EU anti-deforestation law

BRUSSELS, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The European Parliament voted Thursday for a one-year delay to the EU's anti-deforestation law, which aims to ban imports of products linked to deforestation.

The decision to push the implementation date to December 2025 was passed with 371 votes in favor, 240 against, and 30 abstentions. Meanwhile, EU legislators also approved amendments to ease some regulations.

The delay came in response to strong opposition from trade partners like the United States, Brazil, and Malaysia, and concerns from EU member states and industry players about compliance.

Countries like Brazil and Indonesia expressed concerns that the regulation could negatively impact their agricultural exports to the EU, while some EU member states raised issues regarding the readiness of their industries to meet the new requirements within the original timeframe.

Once the EU anti-deforestation regulation comes into force, the large operators and traders would have to respect the obligations stemming from this regulation by Dec. 30, 2025, while micro- and small businesses would have until June 30, 2026.